


forget me not

by brouhahas



Category: Naruto
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Childhood Friends, F/M, Friendship, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:27:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28785663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brouhahas/pseuds/brouhahas
Summary: Their lives forever became intertwined from the moment she grasped his hands, a promise too innocent for this cruel world. Even as he slips further away from her, she can’t bear to let him go--no matter how far down he drags her.--Tags will be updated as the story progresses.
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Sasori (Naruto)/Original Female Character(s), Sasori's Mother/Sasori's Father (Naruto)





	forget me not

_“Grandpa, why are you cutting those off?”_

_“These parts are no good for it. Dying leaves leach nutrients that this plant can use for something else--like growing big flowers and new leaves.”_

_“So you get rid of it, to get something new?”_

-

_“When will you come back?”_

_“Oh, honey, don’t cry. I’ll be home before you know it, but until then, can you be strong for me?”_

_“...Okay Mommy.”_

-

_“How could you?!”_

_“I did it for the sake of the Village--for your father. One day, you’ll understand.”_

-

She woke with a start. Through bleary eyes, she blinked up at the ceiling and instantly felt searing pain all over her body. It burned--everything _burned_. Fire was pumping through her veins at the beat of her frantic heart. She could feel sweat drip down her brow, her hair sticking to her warm skin. There was a strange tightness around her whole body. A garbled gasp managed to wrangle itself out of her dry throat when she tried to move the stifling blanket laid on top of her. Her body barely responded.

In the quiet, she vaguely registered her quickened breaths. Her eyes darted around the dark room she was in. A large brown shelf with several square drawers along its length covered the wall in front of her. To the right, a window with curtains drawn and a vase of dried flowers on a little side table. To the left, a metal chair and cart containing a small bowl and a neat pile of folded rags. The tray below it had bundles of bandages and gauze. And further past the cart, was a sliding door. Through the thin paper, she could see the silhouette of a figure moving in the other room.

Where is she?

_In out in out in out in out in out in out in out in out in out_

She whimpered. The sound is barely louder than a whisper, but it is enough for the figure to stop their shuffling. Help me, she wants to call out. It hurts so much.

-

_“There’s a clinic, if you keep following this road to the village. My brother will be more than happy to let you stay the night should you ever need it. And if he makes a big stink about it--just tell him I sent ya!”_

-

Black dots were skirting her vision as the door slowly began to open. Desperately, she tried to blink it away, but she felt so, so tired.

“I must be dying,” she thinks.

A man steps inside the small room, but his features are too hard for her to make out. In fact, she can’t register anything he was saying, if he was even speaking to her at all. As the man steps closer to her, her vision blurs until all she can see is darkness. Distantly, she feels the cool brush of fingertips on her forehead and hears the slosh of water.

_Drip drip drip drip_

“Yes, I really am dying,” she repeats to herself before passing out.

-

_“Don’t follow me, Hibari.”_

* * *

“Hold the can steady, child! You’re spilling water all over the ground!”

A calloused, wrinkled hand grasped her arm in a firm grip to adjust its position. The other swiftly whacked her upper back, forcing her to straighten her posture. Hibari squawked in surprise and nearly dropped the watering can that was too big for her chubby hands. Squinting up at her grandfather, she puffed out her cheeks. Osamu met her gaze with a fierce frown of his own that seemed to deepen the wrinkles in his face. However it wasn’t long before he broke into hearty chortles at her expression.

“Uwah--stop it Grandpa!”

Hibari removed one of her hands from the can’s handle to swat at her grandfather, who’d taken to pinching her cheek. The watering can wobbled in her hand’s weak grip, but Osamu easily steadied it to direct the stream of water back towards the succulents and cacti and away from the growing puddle on the tiled floor.

“Pay attention to where you’re watering, Hibari, or else the plants will grow up stunted like you,” Osamu said as he released her cheek only to tousle her hair. Black locks rose up into a tangled bird’s nest, and Hibari screeched again which only elicited more guffaws from her grandfather. In retaliation, Hibari turned the can towards Osamu and succeeded in wetting the front of his apron.

“Ohohoho! I’m going to have to dock your pay for this!”

“But you don’t even pay me, Grandpa!”

Amidst their laughter and Osamu’s exaggerated movements in his attempts to dodge Hibari’s attacks, the pair didn’t notice the door to the small greenhouse open. A woman stood there in surprise at the scene in front of her before letting out an exasperated sigh. With her hands on her hips, she alerted them of her presence.

“Father!”

“Ah, Asuka, back already?” Osamu asked, casually lowering the arm he’d been using to hold Hibari’s watering can out of her reach. Hibari on the other hand, quickly diverted her attention away from her grandfather to rush towards the woman.

“Mommy!”

Asuka softened her expression and caught her daughter in an embrace. She leveled an unimpressed look at Osamu as she started to straighten out Hibari’s hair. “I leave her in your care for a few hours and she already looks like she’s been through a windstorm.” A glance at the puddles on the floor and the damp clothes. “Or perhaps a rare rainstorm.”

The older man merely shrugged in good humor. “She finished most of her chores already, so there’s no harm in making a bit of a mess.”

“And who’s going to be cleaning it up?” Asuka asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.

“Grandpa will because he started it,” Hibari interjected, “And you said we had to go somewhere when you came back!”

“That’s not how it works,” her mother admonished, “we will go after you mop the floor.”

Hibari opened her mouth to whine, but her grandfather beat her to the punch. “Oh, let her go out to play--even an old man like me can handle this.”

“You spoil her, Father,” Asuka sighed, but didn’t press the issue since Osamu had already gotten to work mopping the floor with his back turned to her.

Hibari let out a _yippee!_ and scrambled to hang up her apron on the hook by the door. She called out a hasty goodbye to her grandfather before skipping out of the greenhouse and into the store’s main room. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she waited as her mother gathered a couple bags she had left on the counter. In no time, the pair were soon out walking down the streets of Sunagakure, hand in hand.

The midday sun deterred many of the residents from wandering out of their homes, but Hibari relished in the heat rays. Her grandfather was always busy managing the store and tending to the small plants he cultivated, and he usually never let her out of his sight. And when he did, he only allowed her to play on the second floor where her family resided. It was rare that she got to soak up the sun like this (she much preferred the scorching outdoors, where she could feel the breeze, instead of the humid greenhouse). Swinging her mother’s hand, she hummed a little tune she often heard her grandfather sing when the flower shop was empty of customers. Since her parents were both shinobi, they were usually away on missions--or in her father’s case, holed up in some laboratory, office, or meeting. It was rare, she felt, that she got to spend quality time with them. So, Hibari was especially excited when her mother told her this morning that they were going somewhere special, to meet someone special. She had barely been able to stop herself from checking the time every other minute. Fortunately, Osamu had a knack for distracting her, whether from his teasing or through physical labor.

Asuka, noticing the extra spring in Hibari’s step, gently squeezed her daughter’s hand and smiled. With her other arm, she readjusted her grip on the paper bags.

“Mommy, what’s in the bag?” Hibari asked after hearing the soft crinkle. Due to her excitement, she hadn’t questioned what the contents were earlier. After walking a good distance from their house though, the outside seemed significantly less interesting now.

“It’s fruit from the market. These are going to be gifts.” Carefully, Asuka maneuvered the bags so Hibari could see the tops of some nectarines in one of them.

“Is it your friend’s birthday?” the little girl asked with a tilt of her head. She suddenly perked up. “Will there be cake?”

Asuka giggled at the sparkle in her daughter’s eyes and shook her head. “Nope! It’s just a present--sometimes it’s just nice to give one for no reason other than to show that you are thinking of them.”

Hibari opened her mouth in an o-shape, nodding sagely as if her mother had said the wisest words. Then she quickly snapped it shut and looked at her mother with panic in her eyes. “I don’t have a present to give!”

“That’s okay,” her mother tittered, squeezing her hand, “we’ll just say that this is from both of us.” Hibari didn’t seem convinced, but she gave a small nod nevertheless.

The pair continued on, occasionally greeting people they recognized along the way, but the time was mostly filled with Hibari’s chatter. She was in the middle of regaling her mother about how she’d performed surgery on one of the older succulents (in truth, Osamu had done all the work), when Asuka slowed to a stop. They stood in front of a two story home made out of stucco and clay like all the others in Suna. On first impression, there wasn’t anything remarkable about the house, but all of a sudden Hibari felt shy. As they walked in front of the wooden door, she tightened her grip on her mother’s hand, causing Asuka to glance down at her daughter. With a smile she crouched to face her at eye level.

“Don’t worry honey, Yui is my bestest friend in the whole wide world. She’s going to love meeting you--and! There’s someone else I’m sure you’ll love to meet too.” When Hibari gave a tentative smile back, her mother handed her one of the smaller bags that contained cherries. “Here, a present for you to give.”

Straightening up, Asuka gave another reassuring smile before firmly knocking. There was a short pause before the door swung open. A beautiful woman with long dark brown hair and warm brown eyes appeared in the doorframe. She smiled as soon as she saw Asuka and quickly gave her a hug.

“It’s so good to see you!” The woman exclaimed, “It’s been too long since we last saw each other. How have you been?”

“Getting run ragged as usual,” Asuka sighed dramatically, “maybe I should’ve turned down the promotion and worked at the hospital instead. It’s so much easier healing shinobi when you can tie them down to a bed.”

“Tell me about it--I heard Hiruko had to be sedated to stop him from walking back out into the street. He managed to take out a few of the nurses before he passed out too.”

“I’m surprised the hospital still treats him despite how troublesome he is. I figured they would’ve tossed a first aid kit and let him be his teammates’ problem.”

The two women shared a laugh before the stranger finally noticed Hibari staring up at her in wonder. The woman’s face seemed to brighten even more as she crouched down much like Asuka had done earlier.

“You must be Hibari! Your mother has told me so much about you. My name is Yui. I’m glad to finally meet you--well, again. I’m sure you don’t remember the first time,” she said and held out her hand expectantly. At the slight nod from her mother, Hibari softly grasped it. Yui’s smile widened, and she gently shook their hands.

“Mommy and I brought you presents,” Hibari said, lifting the bag of cherries towards Yui. The woman radiated the same calming energy as her mother, and any feelings of nervousness gradually slipped away. “I’m glad to meet you too! I hope you like it!”

“Thank you!” When Yui glanced inside, she gasped. “Asuka, you really shouldn’t have; these must have cost a fortune!”

Hibari’s mother waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it! It’s not everyday we can hang out like this. Now, are we just going to stand here gawking at fruit or are we going to go inside and eat it?”

At that, Yui guided them inside her home. Much like the outside, it was equally plain inside. Although, Hibari noted it was a lot neater than their own house tended to be. As they walked towards the kitchen, Hibari noticed a small figure peeking out at them from on top the stairs. As soon as she turned to look, the figure quickly hid behind the wall. Squinting, Hibari tried to crane her neck up to get a better vantage, but her mother’s hand found hers to lightly tug her towards the kitchen. Asuka hadn’t even glanced at her daughter to know that she was distracted.

“Danjuro is going to love these,” Hibari heard Yui say to her mother, “this time of year is his favorite since the nectarines are at their best. We haven’t gotten a chance to get some from the market though ‘cause of how busy we’ve been. Mother will appreciate these as well.”

“I’m glad--here, let me get started preparing it,” Asuka said, “I believe you have someone to attend to anyway.” They shared what seemed like a secret smile before Yui left the room. Her mother hummed a light, happy tune as she bustled about the kitchen gathering plates and utensils. Seeing as she was too short to reach the counter tops, Hibari just trailed after her mother and tried to peek at what she was doing. She soon grew bored of it though (she’d seen her grandfather clean and chop fruit up lots of times before) and wondered what Yui was up to.

As if her thoughts summoned her, Yui reappeared by the doorway. However, she wasn’t alone. Standing just behind her, as if he could hide behind her legs, was a little boy who looked to be the same age as Hibari. At the sight of another child, Hibari tugged at the hem of her mother’s shirt excitedly. She had yet to start formal schooling, so seeing other children her age was rare. Not only that, they lived in one of the more remote areas of the Village, so not many kids were around for her to play with in general. Noticing her friend and the new presence, Asuka set down the paring knife and led Hibari closer to them.

“Come say hello, Sasori,” Yui said softly. She gave him a tender smile that made Hibari feel certain that she liked the other woman. Someone as kind as her mother was good in her eyes. The other child--Sasori--glanced at Hibari, and quickly shook his head. He tried to hide behind Yui again, but she lightly removed his clutching hands from her leg and ushered him forward. “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” she said, trying to hide a laugh, “she won’t bite.”

“Yeah!” Hibari nodded her head fervently, “I’m really nice! Besides, Grandpa says my baby teeth don’t hurt at all.” Behind her, Hibari’s mother inwardly cringed--she was going to have to talk to her father-in-law about what normal rough-housing with kids should be. She had to wonder what other bad behaviors he was enabling. Sasori, taken aback by her response, looked to his mother. Her amused grin assuaged the spike of anxiety, but he still felt unsure in the presence of this stranger.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” his mother said patiently.

Swallowing down the ball of nervousness he felt in his throat, Sasori slowly nodded and turned back towards Hibari. “H-hello, ‘m Sasori,” he mumbled.

Hibari’s eyes widened almost comically--he acknowledged her! Now that he was out of his mother’s shadow, Hibari finally got a good look at him. She stared for what seemed like forever, marveling at the red of his hair. In a household of browns and grays, and in a village of even more earthy tones, she had never seen hair as vibrant as that before!

Sasori felt anxiety creeping up again when it took far too long for the young girl to respond. Feeling like he must have messed up somewhere, he took a step back to hide behind his mother again, but jumped like a startled cat when the girl shot forward to grab his hands.

“Hello Sasori! I’m Hibari--let’s be best friends!” she nearly shouted, shaking both their hands vigorously. Her eyes sparkled with childish glee. Shocked, Sasori merely stared at her with wide eyes. There was a beat of silence before he softly replied.

“...Okay.”

Unnoticed by the two kids, Yui and Asuka shared matching expressions of relief and happiness.

True to her word, after their initial meeting, Hibari and Sasori became nearly inseparable. While their mothers gossiped in the kitchen, their raucous laughter echoing out more than once, the kids had wandered into the living room. Much to her shock, Sasori didn’t have many toys to play with--only a kickball that they weren’t allowed to play with indoors, a few stuffed animals, and a curious little shisa marionette. Sasori delighted her with a show, making the lion-dog dance and wag its tail by expertly moving the strings attached to the wooden crosses. At her insistence, Sasori handed her the shisa, but after only succeeding in making it flop about, Hibari sheepishly gave it back.

However, as interesting as the marionette was, Hibari was more enamored by Sasori’s collection of storybooks; several of which were filled with words, but some had pictures as well! Her parents were often too tired or came home too late to read her stories before bedtime, and although her grandfather would sit her down with a book when he was babysitting her, it was always educational manuals about the care and usage of native or exotic plants. As much as she enjoyed looking at pictures of pretty flowers, listening to her grandfather drone on and on about topics she didn’t completely understand bored her out of her mind most afternoons.

And to add to the list of things she admired about her new friend, Sasori could easily read his collection of books without the help of an adult. She had learned that when she attempted to read out all the titles of the storybooks, only for Sasori to correct her when she stumbled on a particularly long and difficult sounding one. Her embarrassment was quickly forgotten in favor of pushing the book towards him.

“Can you read this to me? I’ve never heard of it before.”

The girl’s strangeness had put Sasori on edge at first, but after sensing no ill-will from her, he was gradually beginning to open up. “Okay,” he said, with an almost enthusiastic nod, “this one is my favorite. It’s about a man who makes toys and then one day it comes to life.”

Hibari _ooohed_ at that and scooted closer so that she could follow along while Sasori read the story out loud. They had become so engrossed in the pictures and their own imaginations that they barely noticed how the sun’s rays shifted through the windows. In no time, the sky began to darken.

“It’s time to go home, Hibari,” her mother called, “Grandpa and Daddy are going to miss us if we don’t get home in time for dinner.” The children, startled, stared up at their parents with varying degrees of disappointment.

“But we’re not done reading the story!” Hibari immediately whined. Beside her, Sasori made a small noise of agreement.

“The book will still be here when you come back,” Yui said cheerfully. The look of adoration she gave the both of them made Hibari suddenly feel shy again, but she perked up at her words.

“Hibari is going to come back?” Sasori piped up, the note of hopefulness poorly concealed.

“Of course,” Asuka answered, “would you like it if Hibari came to play more often?”

The two kids glanced at each other. Barely a second passed before they both eagerly replied:

“Yeah!”

* * *

Hibari woke up again in a haze. Her eyelids fluttered, but couldn’t open completely. Through the fog of her mind, she hardly registered what was happening around her. When her eyes were finally able to focus for a few seconds, she absentmindedly noted that that stranger was in the room again. The man appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Short, dark hair was neatly swept back to keep out of his face and a pair of wire frames sat precariously on his nose. He was bent over a small desk on the left side of the room that she hadn’t noticed the first time she was awake.

The man’s brow furrowed in intense concentration as he scribbled away at something and had yet to notice her brief moment of consciousness. Hibari’s vision blurred once again, but she desperately fought to push the creeping darkness away. Strangely enough, her body felt stiff and numb--perhaps it was a blessing that she couldn’t feel that intense pain from before. However, she was aware of how uncomfortably hot she felt. Her blood was no longer on fire, but she sensed the tell-tale signs of a fever. She opened her mouth and attempted to speak, but no sound came out.

With her second attempt, Hibari managed a dry, weak rasp, but nothing intelligible was uttered. Nevertheless, the man was alert. He turned to look at her with surprise and immediately stood up. He briskly walked towards something out of her view behind the bed she laid on. Hibari closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the sound of pouring water. When he returned, she could barely make out the shape of a bowl and spoon in his hands.

As if sensing her confusion, the man spoke up: “You’re severely injured--it’s not a good idea for you to be moving, even if it’s just to sit up.” He pulled a chair closer to her bed and sat down. “Here,” he said, holding a spoonful of water to her lips, “Drink up.”

If she were fully cognizant, Hibari would never have let someone spoon feed her water. If she didn’t die from her injuries, she might as well die from embarrassment. However, her throat screamed at her for liquid, and she drank without fuss. She hardly batted an eye when the man wiped away any stray water from her chin with a soft cloth. When he deemed she had drunk enough, the man retrieved a fresh, damp cloth which he replaced with the one on her forehead. It’s coolness was a welcome sensation.

Hibari’s voice was scratchy when she spoke, but the man leveled his full attention on her despite its quietness.

“Who…are you?”

“Hasegawa Setsuna. A doctor.” After his curt reply, Setsuna abruptly turned away to rummage in one of the many drawers that lined the wall in front of her bed. Hibari could only watch, her vision waning from sharp to dim and back again. It was almost hypnotizing, but a rational part of her mind told her she should feel more concerned. When Setsuna returned, he had a small bottle of a semi-clear liquid. He poured the viscous fluid onto a spoon and held it in front of her face.

“It’s almost time for your next dose,” Setsuna says matter of factly, “Drink this. It will help with your fever.” The medicine tasted sweet and went down with little difficulty. Then, the doctor leaned back in his chair and stared at her with an inscrutable look. Hibari paid him no attention--her mind opted to wander off. Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. After a moment of silence, Setsuna’s calm voice brought her back.

“Do you know your name?”

The doctor’s expression edged towards concern when she merely stared at him, blinking slowly. The gears in her head were visibly turning as she tried to process his question. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.

“My name...my name is Hibari.”

Setsuna squinted, as if he was analyzing something she couldn’t see, and then let out a long exhale.

“I see.”

Whatever conclusion he had come to, Hibari wasn’t privy to it. Instead, he stood up, adjusted the blanket around her, and repositioned the cloth on her forehead. “Sleep,” he ordered with a finality that was common amongst doctors, “it’s going to be a long, long time before you are well again, so I suggest you do yourself a favor and rest as much as you can.”

He didn’t wait to see if Hibari would follow his advice or object to it. Setsuna made his way back to his desk to continue whatever work he had left unfinished. Hibari just stared at his retreating figure without a word. The doctor’s comment left her with an unsettled feeling, but she couldn’t analyze it further due to the fog laying heavy on her mind. Numbly, she shifted her gaze to stare at the wooden beams stretching across the ceiling. She didn’t know if it was the medicine kicking in or if her body couldn’t keep the exhaustion at bay any longer, but darkness began to creep at the border of her vision again. Her eyelids felt heavier and heavier as time went on, and eventually she drifted back to unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is going to be my first serious attempt at a multi-chapter fic--updates will be slow, but I will do my best to get chapters out.
> 
> As you can see, there's going to be a lot of back and forth between the past and present throughout the story. I hope it doesn't get too confusing or jarring when it flips between Hibari's memories and what she's up to in the present. There will also be a lot of original characters/creative license taken since the timeline of the story takes place mostly before the start of Naruto/Shippuden.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!!


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